Recent medical evidence that the normal dietary constituent, lecithin, may be of value in treating certain health problems and the growing popularity of health foods has increased the need for palatable foods that contain a high level of lecithin.
In pharmaceutical products, lecithin is used as a source of choline and inositol which are regarded as members of the B-Complex vitamins. See Soybeans and Soybean Products, Markley (ed.) 610 (1951). The choline in lecithin is a source of labile methyl groups, and inasmuch as it contains no cholesterol it is used for its lipotropic effect in treating hypercholesterolemia, arteriosclerosis and psoriasis. Lecithin is an essential factor in the prevention of fatty degeneration of the liver. Lecithin assures a better utilization in the body of the fat-soluble Vitamin A, carotene and Vitamin D. See Markley 628. An additional reference which discusses the usefulness of lecithin in the diet is Nutrition and the Brain, Volume 5, pp. 253-441, (1979), Choline and Lecithin in Brain Disorders, Barbeau, Growdon and Wurtman (eds.); Raven Press.
Lecithin has been used in food products as an emulsifier. U.S. Pat. No. 4,044,165 to Bowman describes a process for preparing precooked pasta products wherein 5 percent lecithin is added directly to the semolina. The lecithin acts as an emulsifier to prevent expansion of the dough at the exit of the drawplate or die.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,971,886 to Votaw et al. discloses a process for preparing a cake composition containing more sugar than flour wherein about 0.1 to 0.3 percent lecithin is added.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,632,705 to Scharf discloses a dried composition wherein lecithin is combined directly with a gelatinized, starchy material and particularily with cereal, bean, fruit, nut or seed flour.
Because of its physical properties, finding a carrier for lecithin has always been a difficult problem. U.S. Pat. No. 2,334,401 to Fitzpatrick et al. teaches the mixing of lecithin with a granular water soluble material such as table salt or cane, corn or beet sugar to form a greasy mass and then grinding the mixture to distribute the lecithin uniformly. However, Fitzpatrick et al. disclose that the method is effective for distributing only small amounts of lecithin in a large amount of food. Further, this method is inappropriate for use in foods not containing salt or sugar or for use in diets which restrict salt and sugar intake.